Why

Chapter 3

Stay awake

A groan escapes my lips.

Open your eyes

I try to blink but my heavy eye lids refuse to open. I shake my head, but the pain is excruciating. A tiredness takes over my body and I want so badly to fall asleep.

Save them

My eyes flutter open against the heaviness and sticky liquid coating my lashes. My eye sight is blurry as if I was trying to open them underwater and at first I can't make out he world around me. But as soon as my eyes adjust, I close them as a cry escapes my lips.

I pull my hands down from above my head and reach for the seatbelt clasp, but my touch is too numb and I can't seem to find the release button.

Slowly, I begin to feel myself drifting off again to the lull of the rain hitting the bottom of the upturned car. My mind begins to go blank as a warmness surrounds me.

I snap my eyes back open in panic and force myself to stay awake. Through my slightly blurry vision I make out the crumpled body of my sister balled up against the roof of the car. Her body is twisted in such an unnatural way that she must have several broken bones. A small pool of blood has accumulated around her blond hair, soaking it a sickly shade of pink. Thankfully the tinted strands conceal her face from my view.

Tears begin to pour out of my eyes and sobs beat against my battered chest. I look away from her and try to see if anyone else is conscious. "Mom." My voice croaks out in a barely auditable whisper.

I hear no response and other sob escapes my lips. From the corner of my eye I can make out her pale fingertips dangling above her head like mine and unlike Liz, she too was wearing her seatbelt and has avoided landing on the roof of the upside down car.

I can't see my dad from my position and try to strain my neck to see Jacob. After a quick glance, I look away from his bloody face as a loud cry escapes my lips.

"Wake up." My hoarse voice cries as tears pour from my eyes. "Wake up!" No one responds to me fruitless calls and my cries grow.

Liz's body slowly begins to become emerged in a small puddle of water that leaks through the broken window from the sky outside. The rain continues to pelt the metal of the car and my ears strain to listen to any sound of help coming our way.

The smallest of sounds causes me to momentarily stop my cries and listen. From outside the crumpled car I hear the very faint sounds of slow footsteps approaching the car in the wet mud.

"Help!" I immediately shout.

Although my vision still blurry, I watch a set of black, muddy feet stop out the car in the broken glass. The bare feet seem to pause at the scene in front of them with no intention of helping.

"Help." My voice comes out a small cry and is soon washed out by the rain.

~*~*~*~

I try to sit up but am restrained and fall back down on the bed. My head swirls and slowly I open my eyes to see the blur of a white room in front of me. The curtains to my right have been drawn over the window to prevent harsh light from entering and the TV displaying a rerun of a kids cartoon is softly playing in front of the bed.

A steady beeping noise from my left causes me to turn to see the heart monitor hooked up to my body. I look down at the various tubes stuck in my arms and suddenly realize the culprits that restrained me from shooting up after my nightmare.

The door at the end of the room creaks open and lets in the new sounds of a busy hallway drift into the depressingly empty room. A lady walks into the room with a clip board in hand. She doesn't seem to be paying attention to me because when she closes the door and looks up at me her eyes widen slightly.